This application claims the priority of German Application No. 100 19 392.7, filed in Germany on Apr. 19, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to an arrangement of several ferrules for optical waveguides as well as to a process for producing a belt having plastic ferrules.
In the case of all optical waveguides used for transmitting data, the problem arises that the end of the fiber must be positioned very precisely. The radial as well as the axial position tolerances are decisive for limiting the coupling losses. In almost all known technical solutions, a small tube-shaped part is pushed over the fiber end and is fastened there. This part is also called a ferrule, an insert or an optical contact. In the case of optical waveguides made of glass as well as those made of plastic, the problem arises of finding an efficient fastening method which meets the high technical demands. For this reason, a very reliable mass production process is required which can be automated. However, the ferrules often have to be introduced into the assembly process individually and in an oriented manner. When the supply takes place as bulk material, a component-specific vibro-conveyer and a component-specific vibrating rail must therefore be mounted in front of each assembly station. Other comparable separating and feeding devices are also known. The investment costs for these devices are considerable.
An object of the invention is to provide an arrangement for feeding the ferrules to an assembling machine without the requirement of high-expenditure separating and feeding devices.
This object is achieved by an arrangement of several ferrules for optical waveguides with at least one connection section, at least two ferrules being connected with one another by way of the at least one connection section.
Furthermore, the object is achieved by an arrangement of several ferrules for optical waveguides, the ferrules being arranged on a continuous belt and being fixed on the latter.
By connecting ferrules to form a belt, a simple solution is provided of feeding the ferrules to an assembling machine. Depending on the construction of the arrangement, only the position of the ferrules on or in the belt is defined, in which case, the ferrules can be held with play, or a rotation of the ferrules is prevented.
When plastic material is used for the ferrules and the belt, a process is provided for producing a belt having plastic ferrules which includes the following process steps:                injection-molding of a first plastic ferrule,        conveying the finished plastic ferrule by a defined distance, and        injection-molding a second plastic ferrule, so that it is connected with the first plastic ferrule.        
The process is advantageous because the plastic ferrule as well as the belt can be produced in the same manufacturing step. Since no additional production step is required, the process according to the invention saves considerable costs.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.